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Regarding BEWITCHED, which I know some of us love, it's interesting how much variation there is in the DVD collections.
Apparently Mill Creek has the U.S. DVD rights now, and their box set is this:
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Bewitched-The-Complete-Series/21466
The above box puts the 254 episodes on 22 discs, S1 and S2 are not colorized, and there are no special features or advertisers tags.
The U.K. box is very different:
I like the fact that they spread it out to 36 discs (evidently one is the Will Ferrell man-child movie), but can someone explain how it has 253 episodes instead of 254? Did they count a two-parter as one?
I think this next one is a Japanese edition, and it looks top-drawer but I have no info:
I myself have the Sony 33-disc complete set, which I call the Blue Box because it's pretty super:
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Bewitched-Complete-Series/13586
You don't get individual season set packaging; the discs are just stacked on two spindles. But I took them all out and put them in individual DVD envelopes, whereupon they fit nicely back in the outer slipcase (I stored away the inner spindle housing). Now I only have to handle the disc I want and not put surface wear on the whole stack. I recommend personal repackaging in a situation like this.
So the housing is not deluxe, but the program content is. For those in Region 1 who don't want to splurge too much, this box is the best balance between economy and quality. You get all the special features content of the deluxe single-season sets, and the show is on 33 discs rather than crammed onto 22. I can't really comment on the Mill Creek 22-disc set as I don't have it, but I'm glad I got this earlier Blue Box by Sony.
Yesterday I watched "Sisters at Heart" (Year 7) and verified that Elizabeth Montgomery's Oscar Meyer intro and outro segments are there, as well as the "Back in a Moment" bumper. This set includes the exact-same discs as Sony's original individual season sets, just in a single box. I'm happy about that.
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The most significant addition to the Mill Creek box set of BEWITCHED is that they have thankfully restored the original Screen Gems logo to the closing credits which for purists like me is a must.
The earlier Sony sets and for that matter the tv syndication prints still being broadcast just have the Sony Pictures Television logo tagged on at the end of every episode
I know the Sony 33-disc box has the Screen Gems logo, with its music, on "Sisters at Heart" because I just watched it. They gave at least that episode the "original broadcast" treatment, with the bumper and Montgomery's special segments talking about it.
I'd have included that episode of The Flintstones as an extra instead* (damn licensing and studio ownership...).
That would be an amazing bonus feature, but yeah, it isn't there. If THE FLINTSTONES hadn't changed hands, including it would have been a snap. But apparently Warner Bros. has it now.
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I've been suffering from a slight case of Voracious-Ravenousitis lately.
I know what you mean. It's great that we can buy so many series on DVD now.
But you'd better have Dr. Bombay listen to your elbow.
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No, as you noted the original closing theme for Season 2 (the jazz-violin version) is intact.
I love that end title version the best.
I admit, I'm not crazy about the colorized versions of S1 and S2 using S3's main titles. I do wish they hadn't taken that shortcut. They should have colorized the original credits.
Not having the B&W editions, I'd be curious to know what main titles are on those sets. Anybody?
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I'm afraid I lost interest in BEWITCHED when Sandra Gould replaced the late Alice Pearce. I never got into the whole Tabitha thing.
For me it's all about Samantha and Darrin. I like a large number of the supporting actors and the laughs they brought in, but Sam and Darrin were the point of it.
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Bewitched is really badly compressed. Too many episodes per disc. "Sisters at Heart" doesn't seem to be a network version. Actually, the writer/director credits were cut off. We see Ed Jurist's name for a split second and then onto the episode.
A real disappointment. I have all the Dick York episodes on Sony DVDs, so I spent $30 for the remainder of the run. So there ya go.
Scott, are the Mill discs two-sided flippers? And the picture quality is an issue? The thing with the writer/director credits sounds like a syndication viewing experience, back when local stations could do anything they wanted.
How do the Mill b&w episodes look? Did they use actual S1 and S2 main titles?
Also, since you have both releases, did Sony have the proper b&w main titles? I just have the colorized S1 and S2 in the 33-disc Sony set, which use the S3 titles.
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Posted: |
Aug 26, 2016 - 8:31 PM
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By: |
ScottyM
(Member)
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Scott, are the Mill discs two-sided flippers? And the picture quality is an issue? The thing with the writer/director credits sounds like a syndication viewing experience, back when local stations could do anything they wanted.
How do the Mill b&w episodes look? Did they use actual S1 and S2 main titles?
Also, since you have both releases, did Sony have the proper b&w main titles? I just have the colorized S1 and S2 in the 33-disc Sony set, which use the S3 titles.
No, they are single sided discs, but the cardboard packaging is double sided. One disc per side. The picture quality looks compressed. There's digital grain and some ghosting. The first season episodes I inspected look to be the same prints as the Sony. Right down the "Sony Only" end title logo. So the later theme used on this was used on these.
The packaging is horrific. If you;re not careful, the sleeve holding all of the discs can slide right out the bottom of the box. The individual cardboard sleve are crappy and the only episode listings are on the discs themselves. They are printed so small, I needed to find my reading glasses to make them out. There are 14 episodes per disc, which is insane.
Honestly, the best packaging for either of these shows were the individual season sets from Sony. Between the craptacular packaging and the compression, I'd say stick with the Sony's. Only my nostalgic desire fo have the Screen Gems logos restored made this a good purchase for me.
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